Chapter 5: The Novice’s Astonishing Revelation

Leaf Su and the middle-aged branch chief were now thinking the same thing:

‘Did he just forcibly add a new setting for himself?’

“In any case, there doesn’t seem to be any problem,” the middle-aged branch chief said, his expression like he’d seen a ghost.

“This child is indeed human. If he were a monster, the word ‘Monster’ would be noted before his name… Wait! No way! This child’s class is ‘Novice’?”

While he had been serious and cautious when he suspected Leaf Su was a monster earlier, that demeanor was now entirely gone.

“Novice? It’s true! Little brother, you…” Fiona, the older sister, also noticed the attribute display on the Philosopher’s Stone (TL Note: A magical item often used to display stats or attributes), which clearly showed “Novice Lv.2.”

Though it was only two levels, the crucial part was the word “Novice” preceding it.

In this world, ordinary people were granted professions at birth, based on their lifestyle and innate talent.

For instance, someone born into a farming family would likely be assigned a low-tier profession like ‘Villager’ from the outset, while those from military households or who underwent frequent training might be bestowed with the ‘Warrior’ profession.

Thus, one’s initial profession directly determined their future prospects.

From birth to death, a person could only ever possess a single profession.

However, that rule did not apply to ‘Novice’!

The ‘Novice’ profession was nothing short of legendary; it was said that all Ten Heroes of this continent had started as Novices.

Although the ‘Novice’ class provided very weak initial attribute boosts, it held infinite possibilities, allowing those who possessed it to transition into multiple professions, essentially granting them access to a diverse array of skills.

Even more astonishing, all acquired professions would complement each other, synthesizing into the individual’s overall strength.

As long as someone possessed the ‘Novice’ profession, they inherently held the potential to become a Hero!

For this reason, the ‘Novice’ profession was also known as the “Hero’s Reserve Army.”

Nevertheless, this did not guarantee that a Novice would inevitably grow into a Hero.

While Novices were rare, a single nation could still produce hundreds, if not thousands, of them.

Yet, throughout recorded history, only ten individuals had ever been documented as Heroes, clearly demonstrating the immense difficulty in achieving such a feat.

Observing their astonished expressions, Leaf Su remained utterly bewildered by what had them so surprised.

‘You two have had enough!’ he thought. ‘Novice players have dignity too, you know! Your Axe Warrior and Blood Knight sound way more impressive than me, alright?’

“Little brother Leaf Su, isn’t it?” the branch chief immediately began to cajole.

“How about you register as an adventurer here with us? Our guild will offer you excellent benefits!” Even the weakest Novice would surely become at least a B-rank adventurer, he reasoned.

If they were stronger, becoming an A-rank adventurer in the future wasn’t out of the question!

As for becoming a Hero, he hadn’t even considered it.

While Novices weren’t exceedingly rare globally, the number who actually became Heroes was minuscule, the probability frighteningly low.

“Pah! Don’t try to trick him,” Fiona scoffed, immediately wanting to kick the man again.

“I brought him here to find his family! How can such a young child become an adventurer? Do you have any brains at all?” His words were simply too detrimental.

Leaf Su, who had remained perplexed by the middle-aged man’s sudden change in attitude, finally had a realization.

‘Right,’ he mused. ‘I blindly followed big sister Fiona before, simply to reach a populated area. The whole “searching for family” thing was nothing but a pretense.’

‘I’m truly sorry, Fiona… I’ve been deceiving you for so long.’

“I’m sorry, big sister Fiona…” Leaf Su apologized, bowing his head and bending at the waist towards her.

“I have no family left here. I only followed you to the city because I was afraid to be alone in the wilderness… I’m truly sorry.”

With a sniffle, Fiona burst into tears.

Upon hearing his confession, the only conclusion she could draw was that the little brother’s family must have perished.

Coupled with being alone in the Monster Forest (TL Note: A common fantasy trope, a forest inhabited by magical beasts), it was likely his relatives had been killed by monsters… A solitary, helpless child in the forest, able only to weep softly in despair…

Fiona forcibly concocted an elaborate, tragic scenario in her mind’s theater, indulging in such profound sorrow that she became utterly overwhelmed.

“It’s alright, it’s alright!” Fiona declared. “Even if your mommy and daddy are gone, big sister Fiona will definitely raise you! From now on, you’re my little brother, Fiona’s brother!”

Leaf Su “…???”

‘So, where the hell did you get such strange information from?! Hey!!!’

…To be continued.